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C99 Supercollider Contact Beam
The C99 Supercollider Contact Beam, also referred simply as the Contact Beam, is an engineering tool designed to pound and soften hard, raw minerals into smaller pieces. Sometimes miners need to pound a stubborn rock into pieces, softening it so it can be extracted in different ways. That's where a C99 Supercollider Contact Beam comes in. Part jackhammer and part energy wrecking ball, the tool is extremely powerful but the primary fire has to be charged for a short time until it is ready to be fired. Design Details Like the Force Gun, the Contact Beam is an energy projector tool that utilizes kinetic energy. As its name suggests, it is a miniaturized particle accelerator intended for mining operations. The Contact Beam utilizes three blue laser reticules as its firing indicator, similar to that of the Plasma Cutter, albeit slightly narrower and in a vertical line. The Contact Beam functions as an equivalent to a sniper rifle due to its high damage and range, like the Force Gun relating to a shotgun. To operate to its actual purpose, the Contact Beam needs to be charged for a brief period. When fully charged and fired, the Contact Beam delivers a huge kinetic discharge that obliterates anything it comes into contact. As such, the weapon trades speed and precision for damage. The discharge is very powerful to the point where most Necromorphs can be killed by one shot. If not charged, the Contact Beam acts as a simple short-range weapon. The Contact Beam's secondary fire acts much like the Pulse Rifle's where it unleashes a small radial ground-based shockwave that knocks objects away from the wielder. Ammunition Ammunition for the Contact Beam can be purchased in the Store for 2,000 credits for one shot. In Dead Space 2, the ammo is 4,000 credits for two shots, this means that contact ammo drops are worth 2,000 credits, making them the most valuable ammo drop in the game. Combat Tips * The Contact Beam is one of the most powerful and difficult weapons to wield in the Dead Space. The primary fire takes one second (when not fully upgraded) to completely charge up while the primary fire button is held down. Once mastered, the Contact Beam can be deadly; although its small magazine size and sparse ammunition drops make accuracy of paramount importance. * The primary fire is powerful enough to kill nearly every creature regardless of where the shot hits, so simply focus on hitting the creature. The Contact Beam is highly effective against Brutes as a single shot behind the Brute is capable of slicing an arm off. If the player manages to fully upgrade their Contact Beam's damage, a single shot can even instantly kill a Brute (except on Impossible mode). The secondary fire is best used when the player is surrounded or cornered by Necromorphs, as it can knock them back and buy time for an escape. It should be noted that this should be used primarily as a means of creating breathing room between you and your enemies. it should not be employed at a means of damaging enemies, as damage from the blast is negligible. * The Contact Beam's primary fire does not travel through multiple enemies and it should be focused at one at a time. This makes it a poor weapon for crowd control, so consider switching to a different weapon if you are being swarmed by a large number of enemies. * Ammunition comes very sparsely across the game, where a single pack of Contact Energy only has enough charge to power one shot. Packs can only hold four shots before more inventory space is used. * The secondary firing mode is capable of taking out many Swarmers with one shot, even on impossible mode. You can use it to give yourself some breathing room if they get too close - if you have the ammo to spare. * The Contact Beam is highly effective against the Leviathan's tentacles - a well-placed shot can sever a tentacle in a single blow, especially with a damage upgrade. * Isaac is completely immune to damage while alt-firing, including ranged and explosive damages. * In Dead Space 2, the alt-fire is a lot more powerful than in the original Dead Space. It can now one-shot any existing common Necromorphs, including Enhanced Slashers if they're close enough to Isaac. Furthermore, it will stasis all enemies caught in its blast radius when upgraded. * In Dead Space 2 it is the most valuable ammo to sell, at 1000c each, 2 per drop(normal difficulty). If you have the space, it can be useful to keep in inventory. * In Dead Space 2 the contact beam's ammo stack size has been increased to 6 per equipment slot. * The Contact Beam is the most effective weapon for the final battle. On Normal difficulty, a single shot can expose the Marker's weakpoint, and a second shot can destroy it, ending the fight before you can be overwhelmed by the unending Necromorphs and Nicole. Trivia *There are contradictions to the weight of the Contact Beam. Isaac was seen leaning when handling it, indicating it is heavy. However, Nathan McNeill was able to use it with one hand, after his other had been severed, indicating it is lightweight, or that he is stronger than Isaac. *Despite its size, it takes a relatively short time to reload, even when not upgraded. Isaac simply needs to put in a new battery and he's done. *It makes a comeback in Dead Space 2 like the rest of the usable weapons in the original Dead Space. *In Dead Space 2, when Isaac reloads the contact beam it vents a considerable amount of heat. *In Dead Space 2, if you had beaten the game Dead Space: Ignition, you get a Hacker Contact Beam to go along with the Hacker Suit. Appearances *''Dead Space'' *''Dead Space: Extraction'' *''Dead Space 2'' Gallery File:Contact Beam.jpg|As seen in DS1 TROP040.png|The "Full Contact" achievement/trophy dead_space_contact_beam.jpg|A close-up view of the Contact Beam